“Mirror Demon King, if you were allowed to absorb the spiritual energy of enough people, would you be able to restore your power?” Lanling asked.
The Mirror Demon King fell silent for a moment before replying, “Master, this is more like nourishment. Perhaps it cannot truly be called absorption.”
It then began to explain. The source of its power came from the shadow of the Demon God Monarch and a single glance from the Demon King.
However, after countless years of depletion, that power had continued to diminish. That was why it drew spiritual power from its spirit slaves.
To be precise, it pulled the souls of its spirit slaves into the world inside the mirror, allowing their souls to nourish it.
This nourishment was continuous rather than an instant act of devouring.
“Master, I know what you’re thinking. You want me to absorb the souls of the countless soldiers in Constantine’s and Alfonso’s armies to replenish my power, so that this energy barrier can continue to exist,” the Mirror Demon King said.
“That’s right. That’s exactly what I mean,” Lanling replied.
The Mirror Demon King said, “That is impossible. First of all, after they enter the Ghost Domain, they will enter an illusion. During that process, I must expend spiritual energy rather than gain it, because I have to create all kinds of illusions to lure them before the mirror. Only after their souls enter my mirror world can I receive nourishment from them.”
In other words, for the Mirror Demon King to receive nourishment from souls, it first had to lure people before the mirror and capture their souls.
The Mirror Demon King continued, “If this had been many years ago, I could have captured hundreds or even thousands of people at once. But now… my power has already been greatly depleted. Especially after suffering your devastating attack, I can no longer capture so many people simultaneously, unless…”
It did not finish its sentence, but Lanling already understood.
Unless Lanling turned the people of the Flame Demon Tribe into the Mirror Demon King’s spirit slaves, allowing their souls to nourish it.
The Mirror Demon King said, “Don’t you have more than three hundred elderly, weak, sick and disabled people? They are no longer of any value to you. You might as well let them enter the mirror world and become my soul slaves.”
“Impossible,” Lanling answered without hesitation.
He had struggled for so long to finally establish his own tribe and free the former Foreign Legion from slavery and oppression.
Was he now supposed to enslave them himself after founding his own tribe?
Of course, Lanling was not obsessed with moral purity. If it meant achieving his ultimate goal, he did not particularly care whether the methods were evil.
But if he did such a thing, the Flame Demon Tribe would completely lose its people’s trust.
The Flame Demon Tribe was still extremely weak. Its greatest strength was its people’s unity and spirit. Once that was destroyed, the tribe would become nothing more than walking corpses.
Just looking at the current construction frenzy proved how precious that spirit was.
For a full two months, the brothers of the Flame Demon Tribe had been sleeping less and less while working longer and longer each day.
Eventually, Suomo and Lanling even had to drive them away from the work sites to force them to sleep before they would finally leave.
As for the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled who could not perform heavy labour, they worked day and night as well, sewing clothes or painstakingly gathering resources.
What delighted Lanling most was that some of the older citizens had even begun studying how to cultivate wild grain.
To Lanling, this was the most important step for the future.
His tribe could not survive forever through hunting and gathering alone.
They had to grow crops, cultivate vegetables and raise livestock.
Only then could they secure a continuous supply of food and meat.
Not only that, they also needed to vigorously develop handicrafts, military industries and many other fields.
Only then could the Flame Demon Tribe truly become powerful and eventually establish its own empire.
Throughout the tribe, there was not the slightest trace of selfishness.
Everyone worked desperately, pouring every ounce of effort into building their home.
The entire tribe functioned like a perfectly designed machine, with every part operating at its very limit.
Lanling knew that once the tribe expanded, such perfection would inevitably disappear.
That was because these one thousand brothers had been shaped over many years, even more than a decade.
But these one thousand people were precious sparks.
They could influence those who came later and carry forward fairness, justice, dedication and sacrifice.
To Lanling, these noble ideals were the true foundation upon which the future Flame Demon Empire would be built.
In his eyes, the spirit of the tribe’s people was more valuable than gold itself and could never be allowed to perish.
“Very well.” The Mirror Demon King sighed. “Then I must tell you that the enemy has a full thirty thousand soldiers. Once they enter my range, with my current power I absolutely cannot create illusions for so many people simultaneously. To create illusions, I first need to know what they are thinking, what they fear, and what they desire.”
“I understand,” Lanling said. “Then could you create one single illusion that guides all thirty thousand people to the same place?”
“That is possible,” the Mirror Demon King replied. “For example, if there are steep cliffs on both sides with only a single path through the middle, everyone will instinctively walk along that path.”
“That will be enough,” Lanling said. “I’ll dig an enormous death pit in the ground. All thirty thousand soldiers will fall into it. The pit will be filled with enough water to drown every one of them. They will walk to their own deaths.”
The Mirror Demon King said, “Then the pit must be extraordinarily large.”
Lanling smiled.
“I just happen to have an extraordinarily large pit.”
The Flame Demon Tribe really did have such an enormous pit.
To build the city walls and castle, they needed huge quantities of earth. Lanling had selected a flat area where everyone excavated soil.
Now that the five hundred metre wall had been completed and the enormous castle was under construction, more than seven hundred people had spent two months digging until the site had become a gigantic pit.
It was five metres deep and more than three hundred metres across.
The pit had now been abandoned because underground water had begun seeping up after reaching five metres. In addition, heavy rain had fallen continuously over the previous ten days, filling the pit with water more than three metres deep.
A pit this enormous, filled with water this deep, was certainly enough to drown thirty thousand people.
That was why Lanling had always said he was not worried about the first battle.
He was completely confident of victory.
The only thing required was for the Mirror Demon King to lure the entire thirty thousand strong army into that enormous death pit.
“Master, the distance from the energy barrier to the death pit is nine hundred metres,” the Mirror Demon King said. “For thirty thousand soldiers to travel that distance would take at least half an hour.”
A normal person could walk nine hundred metres in four or five minutes.
But thirty thousand soldiers marching together rather than running would indeed require twenty to thirty minutes.
“I cannot control thirty thousand people for half an hour,” the Mirror Demon King said.
“It won’t take that long,” Lanling replied. “Once they launch their attack, they’ll certainly be running. At most, it will take fifteen minutes for all thirty thousand of them to jump into the pit.”
“I still can’t last that long,” the Mirror Demon King answered. “Even if I don’t probe each person’s mind or soul, even if I create the simplest possible illusion for everyone to share, saving as much spiritual energy as possible, thirty thousand people are simply too many.”
“How long can you last?” Lanling asked.
“One minute at most,” the Mirror Demon King replied.
Lanling’s plan to destroy Constantine’s and Alfonso’s allied army was actually very simple.
The Mirror Demon King would preserve a portion of its remaining spiritual power and lower the energy barrier in advance.
When the thirty thousand soldiers rushed in, it would suddenly raise the barrier again, trapping the entire army within an illusion and luring them into Lanling’s deadly trap.
In other words, the thirty thousand soldiers would willingly march into the gigantic death pit and drown themselves.
It was truly a merciless plan.
Lanling had already been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in the Human Kingdom. Another thirty thousand did not concern him.
But the Mirror Demon King had just told him that its remaining power was insufficient to maintain the illusion long enough for the entire army to reach the death pit.
Lanling asked, “Apart from asking me to provide soul slaves, is there any other solution?”
The Mirror Demon King replied, “Master, even if you gave me spirit slaves, their spiritual power would still be far from sufficient.”
“Then speak plainly,” Lanling said. “What is the solution?”
“The Ghost King’s Eye,” the Mirror Demon King answered.
“The Ghost King’s Eye? What is that?” Lanling asked.
“The Ghost King was once one of the rulers of the Southern Wilderness, the greatest ruler after the age of the Demon God,” the Mirror Demon King explained. “In other words, he rose to power after the demons had fallen. He ruled a territory stretching thousands of miles and governed for more than one hundred years. Yet he possessed no body, only a skeleton hidden forever beneath magnificent armour. During these thousands of years, he was the only being who ever established an empire in the Southern Wilderness.”
Lanling asked, “Why have I never heard of him?”
The Mirror Demon King replied, “The Southern Wilderness is primitive and backward. It possesses almost no civilisation, therefore no true inheritance and no recorded history. After thousands of years, naturally everything has been forgotten. Unlike the Human Kingdom, there are no books to preserve the past.”
Lanling asked, “Then what exactly is the Ghost King’s Eye?”
The Mirror Demon King replied, “One hundred and thirty years after founding his Ghost King Empire, the Ghost King died. No one knows how he died or where he perished. His skeleton disappeared. His armour vanished. His sword also disappeared. Yet countless years later, a gemstone appeared. It is the most beautiful gem in the world. Anyone who obtains it becomes completely fascinated by it. Within the gem, one can see the stars of the universe and countless constellations.”
“So that gemstone is the Ghost King’s Eye,” Lanling said.
“Yes,” the Mirror Demon King replied.
“How do you know all this?” Lanling asked.
“Master, I have existed for thousands upon thousands of years. I have captured countless souls and learnt countless secrets from their minds.”
“Then where exactly is the Ghost King’s Eye now?” Lanling asked.
“Master, what you need is a sword, a treasured sword.”
The Mirror Demon King suddenly changed the subject.
“You mean the Ghost King’s Sword?” Lanling asked.
“The Ghost King’s Sword has neither god nor form, yet it contains incomparably powerful energy. It can be called the strongest sword in the entire Southern Wilderness, a supreme treasure.”
Lanling asked, “Are you saying that through the Ghost King’s Eye, we can find the Ghost King’s Sword?”
“Not only that,” the Mirror Demon King replied. “You can even find the Ghost King’s tomb, where endless treasures lie buried. Not only the Ghost King’s Sword, but also the Ghost King’s Armour, the Ghost King’s Heart…”
“The Ghost King’s Heart?” Lanling exclaimed.
“Yes,” the Mirror Demon King replied. “Although countless years have passed, I believe the energy contained within the Ghost King’s Heart could increase your cultivation several times over.”
Lanling’s breathing became rapid, but he soon calmed himself.
“There is only one thing that concerns me. I must win the battle one month from now. Only if we win will the Flame Demon Tribe have a future.”
“I need the Ghost King’s Eye,” the Mirror Demon King said. “Only then can I mentally control thirty thousand enemies and send them to their deaths.”
Lanling asked, “How do I know you aren’t simply using me to obtain the Ghost King’s Eye?”
The Mirror Demon King remained silent for a moment before replying, “Master, I am your shadow. We are one and the same.”
“I’m not a Demon King,” Lanling replied.
The Mirror Demon King said, “Then after obtaining the Ghost King’s Eye, you can embed it into your own soul. Through me, you can personally control the thirty thousand enemy soldiers, create the illusion yourself, and lead them into the trap. How about that?”
Then it continued, “Every ruler is suspicious by nature. You are no exception.”
Lanling asked, “So obtaining the Ghost King’s Eye is absolutely necessary if we are to destroy those thirty thousand soldiers?”
“Absolutely,” the Mirror Demon King answered. “Moreover, the Ghost King’s Eye will lead you to an immense treasure and make you unimaginably powerful.”
“Where is it?” Lanling asked.
“Rakshasa City, Heaven and Earth Pavilion,” the Mirror Demon King replied. “No one knows it is the Ghost King’s Eye, the greatest treasure in existence. No one knows it contains such an enormous secret and such tremendous power. Everyone simply believes it is an extremely valuable gemstone. They are completely blind to its true worth. As long as you offer enough money, you can buy it.”
Lanling asked, “How do you even know where it is?”
The Mirror Demon King replied, “Because its previous owner became one of my spirit slaves. He had once been a tribal chief. After obtaining the Ghost King’s Eye, he spent every day admiring it until it consumed his attention. His tribe was eventually destroyed, and only then did he awaken from his obsession. He sold the Ghost King’s Eye in hopes of rebuilding his tribe. The one who bought it was Heaven and Earth Pavilion, the largest merchant guild in Rakshasa City.”
Clearly, after receiving the money, that chief failed to rebuild his tribe. In the end, he entered the Ghost Domain and became one of the Mirror Demon King’s spirit slaves.
The Mirror Demon King said, “There is still one month before the battle. You have more than enough time to travel to Rakshasa City and back to purchase the priceless Ghost King’s Eye.”
…
Meng Tuoluo truly believed she was about to die.
Never in her life had she experienced such agony.
The pain was like being thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil in the deepest level of hell.
Every inch of her body was burned away by flames before being reborn again.
Every meridian throughout her body seemed to be devoured by dark flames, torn apart and crushed.
Her entire body was completely reconstructed.
Her whole spiritual world sank into absolute darkness, as though she had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
She had no idea how much time had passed before she slowly opened her beautiful eyes and woke up.
Then she realised she was completely unclothed.
Meng Tuoluo’s body was almost perfect, dreamlike in its beauty.
Yet the woman’s body lying beside her was even more perfect, filled with a supernatural charm.
Even Meng Tuoluo, despite being a woman herself, found herself captivated by that woman’s body, almost unable to resist its allure.
The owner of that body was naturally Princess Naxue, that devil like figure.
Then Meng Tuoluo noticed something unusual about herself. Her body was covered with signs that something had happened.
She realised one undeniable fact.
She had been violated.
By a woman.
That devilish Princess Naxue had bitten her, drunk her blood, and then violated her.
Soon afterwards, Meng Tuoluo felt changes spreading through her body.
She felt unbearably hungry, yet strangely filled with strength.
Above all, she developed an overwhelming craving for blood.
“Hungry?” Princess Naxue asked.
She beckoned with her hand.
Immediately, a beautiful young woman stepped forward and knelt before them.
She was an exceptionally beautiful woman, another of Princess Naxue’s possessions.
“Bite her,” Princess Naxue ordered.
Meng Tuoluo hesitated briefly.
Then an overwhelming craving surged through her, an irresistible thirst for blood and a terrifying hunger.
She lunged forward, opened her mouth, revealed sharp fangs, and bit deeply into the beautiful woman’s neck, drinking her blood frantically.
“Ah… Ah…”
The beautiful woman let out heart rending screams.
Within moments, she had been drained into a dried corpse.
While Meng Tuoluo was drinking her blood, Princess Naxue embraced her from behind, biting her delicate body repeatedly.
Then she pushed Meng Tuoluo down once more and violated her again in that same unnatural way.
“I’ve bitten no fewer than one thousand women. You are the only one who survived. From today onward, you are one of the Vampire Demon Race. From today onward, you belong to me,” Princess Naxue said as she held Meng Tuoluo’s chin.
After everything had finally ended, Meng Tuoluo lay there gasping for breath, staring at Princess Naxue’s incomparably handsome and almost wickedly enchanting face.
“Your Highness… you… you look very much like someone,” Meng Tuoluo said with a trembling voice.